Chapter 5

A beauty like Elena would never go unnoticed, no matter where she went. She looked like a beautiful portrait, sitting idly and quietly in the corner in her sweet, demure get-up.

She caught the eye of one of the scions at the tender conference. He smoothly plucked a red rose from the reception table before approaching Elena. "Hey, beautiful lady. What are you doing here all alone?"

Elena hadn't been spacing out. Rather, she'd been thinking about the bidding happening soon when her thoughts were interrupted. She lifted her gaze, and the scion was even more dazzled by her slightly dazed expression. He handed her the rose and said, "This is for you."

A faint smile curved Elena's lips, but she did not take the rose. "Sorry, but my family is strict and won't allow me to take things from a stranger."

"Do you always do as your family says? What a good girl." He didn't press her into taking the rose and instead claimed the seat beside her. "You look bored sitting here. Care for a chat?"

Elena pointed at the crowd before her. "My family's somewhere in front. They'll get angry if they see you and me talking."

"Come on, surely you're exaggerating. I'm not a bad guy—"

"Mr. Bailey." A familiar voice sounded from the crowd. Elena looked up and saw Joel heading in her direction. He'd looked as if he were entertaining clients right up until just now, but in truth, he'd been glancing at Elena from time to time. Naturally, Elena was well aware of this.

Terrence Bailey rose from his seat and clinked glasses with Joel. "I didn't think you were interested in Aster Avenue, too, Mr. Youngblood. I guess Bailey Group won't stand a chance tonight."

"You've got capable, talented workers at Bailey Group. I heard they'd put in extra hours to finish the design for the bidding, and that you personally monitored the entire process. As far as I'm concerned, Bailey Group has a pretty solid chance," Joel pointed out.

They continued exchanging pleasantries. When Terrence noticed Elena leaving, he lost interest in his conversation with Joel and caught up to her. "Hey, Ms. Goody Two-Shoes, mind if I get your number?"

Elena said nothing and merely cast a subtle, sidelong glance at Joel. The crowd watched as he grimly pulled her behind him. "She minds. I suggest you look for new prey, Mr. Bailey."

"Oh? I see you're into this type, too, Mr. Youngblood." Terrence raised a brow, his gaze turning inquisitive.

Joel did not respond and merely fixed Terrence with a hard expression.

Not wanting to cross Joel, Terrence disgruntledly backed off. "Seeing as you have a thing for her, I know better than to try my luck with her and steal her from you. Excuse me."

After Joel's maneuver, no one dared to approach Elena again. Irked by the red rose on the table, Joel bent over to pick it up, then threw it in the trash. "Is there anything you'd like to eat? I'll go get it for you."

A buffet counter had been set up at the conference, and all kinds of delicious food had been served. When Joel went home to pick up Elena earlier, George had informed him that she had skipped lunch. Her health was delicate, and her blood sugar would dip if she went too long without food.

"No, thank you. I'm not hungry." Elena turned toward the scene before her and saw that Terrence, who had joined the crowd, was still looking at her.

Joel noticed this, too. Displeasure flickered across his face, and he sat down across from Elena to block Terrence's line of vision.

"Your hair's a mess." Joel extended a hand toward Elena, but before he could touch her face, Remus showed up.

The older man clutched Joel's hand with a cold look in his eyes. "Mr. Montgomery is looking for us everywhere. What the hell are you doing?"

Realizing he was stepping out of line, Joel quickly withdrew his hand and straightened the lapels of his suit jacket. "The bidding hasn't even started. Why would Mr. Montgomery be looking for us?"

"Regardless of the reason, the fact that he wants to meet with us privately means he might be interested in collaborating with us." Remus was suppressing his anger, and his eyes gleamed maliciously behind his glasses.

Many investors were present at the tender conference, and all of them were elites in the architecture and construction industry. Joel knew, of course, that a private meeting with Nicholas Montgomery was hard to come by.

"There's a lounge up ahead. Go in and take a breather or maybe grab a bite or two. Wait for my call," Joel told Elena. After that, he and Remus couldn't care less about the tender conference as they hurried up to the second floor.

Bored, Elena left under everyone's intent gaze. However, she had barely taken two steps when she overheard a few guests talking about the golden heir of the Montgomery family.

"I saw Mr. Montgomery at Elmwood Hotel yesterday! He's more of a heartthrob than the rumors made him out to be!"

"I saw him, too! That six-foot-two build, those gorgeous muscles… He's a sex god! He's so cool and intimidating without even trying, and that innate refinement could make any woman go crazy. And that face! He's like a statue carved to perfection!"

"Ah, I'd be happy to let my family go bankrupt if it means I get to spend a blissful, drunken night with Mr. Montgomery!"

Elena hadn't wanted to eavesdrop, but she couldn't help taking in all the details about the elusive scion of the Montgomery family anyway. The ladies had said he was as perfect as a statue, if not more. Could he outshine the man with whom Elena had tangled last night?

She stopped listening after that. She was indeed hungry after going a day without eating much.

She was about to head for the buffet counter when the gossiping, love-struck ladies from earlier suddenly quieted down. The silence was followed by a sudden, piercing scream. "Mr. Montgomery's here!"

Elena grew doubtful. Didn't Remus mention earlier that the man called "Mr. Montgomery" was looking for him and Joel? She even saw the father-and-son duo hurry up to the second floor. So, then, why would the person they wanted to meet join the masses here?

While Elena fell into a daze, the screams and shrieks around her only rose to a sharp clamor. The next second, she glimpsed a pair of long legs, so perfectly sculpted that they caught her eyes immediately. The man wore an expensive tailored suit and a sapphire-blue tie.

However, Elena's attention was fixed on the man's hands.

She noted his well-defined fingers and how strong and slender they looked. What caught her eye the most was the silver signet ring he wore on his thumb; it was like some kind of status symbol. It certainly added a mysterious touch to the man's overall carriage.

She could be wrong, but those hands looked vaguely familiar.

Elena couldn't resist dragging her gaze up to the man's face.

The lights blurred her vision slightly, but she could still clearly make out the cold, hard set of a well-defined jawline. The man's eyes were like inky pools of starlight under neat, dark brows, and he had a face like an angel.

It was the man from last night!

Elena froze. It was as if her blood had run cold, and even her breath came up short.

She finally realized why she thought his hands were familiar. The silver signet ring he wore had dug painfully into her hips and waist when he dragged her into the steamy bathroom last night. Not only that, those hands had touched her everywhere, unabashedly feeling her up and making her want more.

How was this possible? How could the man who'd so boldly touched her last night be Nicholas Montgomery, the scion who reigned at the top of the social hierarchy of Cesterfield?

Nicholas swept his gaze over the crowd. The socialites and heiresses were batting their lashes and tossing their hair to get his attention, but he couldn't be bothered with them. His frosty gaze barely lingered on anyone for more than a second.

He had planned on meeting with the Youngbloods to teach them a cold, hard lesson. But he changed his mind at the last minute and left when he thought of a more interesting punishment.

The tender conference was packed with people, and the women were clambering to swarm around him. The pungent mixture of perfumes assailed his nose and made him queasy.

He was about to call for security to clear the way for him when a gorgeous figure up ahead caught his eye.

When Elena noticed Nicholas looking her way, she quickly spun and left. She walked quickly, wending through the crowd to reach the restroom door. But before she could enter, a powerful force pinned her against the frigid wall.

A low, husky, magnetic voice cut through the air as the man purred in her ear, "Are you stalking me?"